Launch of the Conference on Sustainable Construction in Overseas France

In order to propose processes for producing benchmarks adapted to the specificities of these territories, a complete system is planned over several months: call for contributors to organize workshops in the territories, online master-classes at the start of the school year and finally concluding workshops in Paris in February 2024. As a result of these various workshops, a white paper will be written presented at the Batimat fair in October 2024.

Meetings to identify the processes for producing standards adapted to construction in Overseas France

A report by Senator Magras dating from 2018 highlights the lack of adaptation to ultra-marine specificities standards designed for construction in France. Starting with the lack of benchmarks for the local biosourced materials used (sugar cane, coconut fiber). This is mainly due to the small size of the markets. The purpose of these Overseas Sustainable Construction Conferences is to work on the creation of benchmarks involving both overseas authorities, but also French authorities. This approach is part of the continuity of the PLOM (Overseas Housing Plan) which is extended in 2023.

“Since 2015 with PACTE and until today with the OMBREE program, the AQC has continued to intensify its actions to improve the quality of construction in overseas territories. To do this, it has always relied on local expertise. The organization of these meetings is a unique opportunity to go further by bringing together overseas professionals involved in sustainable construction around coordinated proposals that respect their specificities. »Philippe Estingoy, director of the AQC

The first stage of the Assises: a call for local contributors

Open since June 15, the call for contributors is the first stage of these meetings. Construction professionals, institutional players and organizations (chambers of trades, associations, federations, CCIs, etc.) from overseas territories are invited to register until September 4, 2023 on the link below: https://batiments-outremer.fr/assises-batiment-outre-mer/

They will thus be able to formulate proposals which will be put on the agenda during local workshops organized in the territories.

“The Conference on Sustainable Construction in Overseas France is in line with the work undertaken in the territories for many years for some, and by the FEDOM Construction/Housing Commission which campaigns for the establishment of local compliance validation units. The study it led on this subject, thanks to the financial support of the Action Logement innovation fund and the Federation of Real Estate Developers of La Réunion, with which the local institutional and technical players were associated, demonstrated its relevance and necessity. Because structuring and leading the local expertise sector in line with the needs of companies, in the Antilles-Guyana and Indian Ocean basins, is a major economic, financial and environmental challenge to which this Conference will give its full dimension. » Françoise de Palmas, General Secretary of FEDOM (Federation of Overseas Businesses).

Workshops and webmaster classes to define the roadmaps

Between September 2023 and January 2024, four local workshops will be organized in the DROMs so that local actors can share their knowledge and reflect on proposals around the following 4 themes:

• Adaptation and production of technical implementation guidelines with respect to environmental constraints, locally available materials and the vulnerability of constructions
• Adaptation and production of benchmarks with respect to cultural uses and specificities
• Local scientific contributions to the adaptation/production of standards and quality control
• Capitalization of know-how and use of products from close geographical areas by promoting the interoperability of standards and reference systems (CE/NF marking of materials, products, implementation reference systems, regional standardization commissions, etc.).

Alongside these workshops, webmaster classes, on complementary themes, will be organised. They will make it possible to address structuring subjects for the proposals that will be included in the white paper.

Personalized contributors-reporters, designated among the contributors in each territory and who will have participated in the workshops and webmaster classes, will meet in Paris in February 2024 for concluding workshops. During these concluding workshops, the rapporteurs will be invited to exchange with each other as well as with the representatives of the French authorities involved in the production of reference systems. The proposals will be formulated in the form of common roadmaps which will be included in a white paper.

A white paper on sustainable construction in Overseas France unveiled in October 2024 at Batimat

All the proposals drafted during the concluding workshops in Paris will be recorded in a White Paper on Sustainable Construction in Overseas France. It will form the basis of a common roadmap for the Overseas Territories to implement a production system for overseas repositories (representative bodies, governance, validation circuits, etc.). This white paper will be presented at the Batimat show in October 2024.

More information on OMBREE and the next stages of the Assises:

Launched in 2020 by the State and financed by the CEE system, the OMBREE program (inter Overseas program for Resilient and Energy-efficient Buildings) aims to participate in the reduction of energy consumption in overseas buildings through awareness-raising, information and training actions for construction professionals, with the support of local actors.

Several actions structure the program with a cross-cutting objective: to share knowledge and support the dynamics between overseas territories. Now integrated into the PROFEEL program, it is piloted by the AQC.